Mindanao sets Guinness record for tree planting

DAVAO CITY—Mindanao has set a world record for most trees planted simultaneously in multiple locations, the Guinness World Records (GWR) announced on its website.

Surpassing India’s 1.9 million trees, Mindanao posted a total of 2.29 million trees planted by 122,168 participants in 29 locations during the Mindanao-wide “TreeVolution: Greening MindaNOW” on Sept. 26 last year, the GWR said.

“This is a huge feat for all Mindanaoans, especially for the volunteers and partners,” said Luwalhati Antonino, head of the Mindanao Development Authority.

Antonino said over 4 million seedlings were actually planted during the event, but only 2.29 million were counted because of the stringent verification process of the Guinness committee.

“The 4 million seedlings planted add one percent to Mindanao’s target forest cover by 2016,” she said.

“These trees, once fully matured, can supply oxygen to around 16 million people daily, or 75 percent of the total Mindanao population. There’s also no doubt on how the seedlings we planted could eventually minimize the impacts of climate change.”

Antonino said the success of TreeVolution goes beyond the Guinness World Record. The event, she said, “has shown one overwhelming reaffirmation—that Mindanaoans can unite for a common good; that, we can actually unite for the environment.”

“More importantly, this official number from Guinness does not in any way reduce the long-term impacts of the actual 4 million trees planted in over 7,800 hectares of land all over Mindanao,” Antonino said.

She thanked all event partners, including the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The TreeVolution sites, where groups, government agencies and individuals simultaneously planted over a thousand trees in an hour, cover a wide area of Mindanao, including a part of the national greening program of the DENR.